Tire advice please!

98gt5sp · 03-01-2002, 01:51 AM

I have a 98 Mustang GT 5sp (obviously), and I just got a really good deal on 4 17" wheels from a friend. I currently have 16" wheels and tires, and am about to buy 17" tires to put on with my new rims. I'm wondering what tire everyone else out there likes (I'm looking for something relatively cheap, like no more than around $150 each). The Kuhmo Ecsta Supra 712s (size 25540) and the Michelin Pilots were both recommended to me. Does anyone else have any recommendations, or has anyone used these tires? Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks a lot.

SLOW 97 · 03-01-2002, 09:50 AM

What kind of driving are you planning on doing? Do you drag race or auto cross? As for Kuhmos, I personally think they suck. The tires you should buy all depend what the car is going to be used for.

blue00gt · 03-01-2002, 04:41 PM

I have also heard that those Kumhos don't make very good traction. I can only speak for the tires that I have had on my cars, but I really like Dunlop SP8000s and Pirelli P-zero Asymmetricos (Pirellis are very expensive). These are good for handling, but obviously don't hook up like a drag radial on a launch. I've also had BF Goodrich Comp T/A ZR's and was pretty happy with those. Have heard good things about Bridgestone S02s and S03s too.

Sonics2042 · 03-01-2002, 05:19 PM

I got some Z-rated Michelin Pilots cheap from Costco. They were a world better than my previous Toyo tires.

I only have 15" rims...so I don't know about your application....anyone else have any comments on the Pilots? (Mine were a little over 500 for all for with balancing and all that...they do that for free...)

Thanks,
DoranW

96GTfanatic · 03-01-2002, 08:13 PM

get 245's. you can get a better tire for the same price as paying for a crappy tire thats slightly bigger. Not a big difference but 245's will be cheaper and do just as fine.

95GTS · 03-04-2002, 12:56 PM

Look into the Dayton Daytona ZR tires. I had them on my 96 and they were great tires. Also Pep Boys has a tire called the Futura Ultra Z or something like that. Made by Cooper they are the same thing as the Cooper Cobra Z rated tire (I think called the GTZ).

Red Mustang Gt 46 · 03-04-2002, 04:25 PM

Dunlop SP5000's have served their purpose well for me...
They were $129.00 a piece, don't know what they are now. I drive my car hard every day whether it be cornering or smoking the rears. After 20,000 miles, they still look new. Ultimately your choice, just my experience with Dunlops.

SLOW 97 · 03-06-2002, 10:13 AM

The Dunlop SP5000's I had on my car weren't bad but I burned them up pretty quick. Also, stay away from Pep Boys and Japanese tires! There's a reason why they are cheap, they SUCK! If your into handling and autocross, go with BF Goodrich G- Force T/A KD's. These came on the '00 Cobra R and are pretty expensive but a little cheaper than the Pirelli's and are just as good if not better. If you drag race, get some BF Comp T/A Drag Radials in the back and some Comp T/A ZR's in the front. My friend had these on his Camaro and they hooked up very well.

mustang17 · 03-07-2002, 12:28 AM

I have yet to hear a good thing about Kumho tire. I'd stay away from them. I know an autocross guy (92 vett) who loves them because he has to buy a set every couple weeks. He said if he could afford ANYTHING else he would get it.

I had the Pilot XGT Z4'S, as my street tire, and I thought the were awful. Not a good tire for hard street driving. That tire gave me the worst traction proublems. I paid $160 , huge waste of money.

I had good luck with the Bridgestone Potenza RE 940's, a great street tire, for the wet too. They run about $120.

Think about tread life! If you need a street tire, I wouldn't get a drag radial, unless you like throwing money into tires every 20,000 miles. If the car is your daily driver you have to think about wet handling, as well.

It's a total give and take with tires.

Crazy Horse GT · 03-07-2002, 12:36 AM

well as much as everyone say's khumo's suck they beat the he-- out of the goodyears my car came with -3 blowout's in one year ,the last one has caused me to wait over 2 month's for my car to be repaired,i still dont have my stang,so whatever you decide ,dont get goodyear's

SLOW 97 · 03-07-2002, 10:25 AM

Amen to that! The stock Goodyear's that came on my GT are horrible. No traction and the way the tread was worn was terrible.

esandes · 03-14-2002, 12:12 AM

Bridgestone Potenza's rock. Sticky compound really keeps you on the road. For the best handling though I'd recommend suspension upgrades (ie. Steeda stage 3 or Roush or Max Motorsport).

MustangKelly96 · 03-14-2002, 12:39 AM

Quote:

Look into the Dayton Daytona ZR tires. I had them on my 96 and they were great tires

Would have to agree. I just had a set put on my car and paid right at $600 for the works.

GTJim · 03-15-2002, 11:08 AM

You might think about getting some take-off 99-01 Cobra wheels/tires. Get the polished ones (17x8) and they come with the Comp T/A tires (245-45-17) and fit perfectly. They are up on Ebay once in a while and you can get a used set usually with under a few thousand miles for about $700.

esandes · 03-15-2002, 12:46 PM

I bought a set of Bridgestone Potenza S-O2's. I love them. They are so much better than the stock goodyears. The compound is race proven and the traction in wet and dry is unbeleivable. I get better traction in the wet than I did on dry roads with the good years.

If you are getting bigger wheels/tires, I think you have to adjust your speedo gears too. Check with Steeda.

98gt5sp · 06-13-2002, 02:21 AM

I never really do any auto-cross, just drag racing. Even for my street tires, I really want something that will hook up well off the line. Any suggestions on this? The potenzas still? Thanks,

-98gt5sp

98SteedaGT · 06-13-2002, 08:11 AM

I have Nitto 555ZR on my car, and I love them... I still have a huge groove in them where the tread is. I can't complain about them.. although you will have to spend some money for them at the size I have...

$272.00/tire @ 285/35/18

I have no problems with traction in wet/dry/sand/gravel. They hold very well to the pavement in all conditions. From a dead stop and the TCC loaded to full, I can go straight to WOT and not even spin the tires. I get full grip and launch right off the line, the only times I even get a small chirp from them is when I go from 1-2 and 2-3. Other than that, they hold their ground.

Ramin · 06-17-2002, 02:02 PM

Make up your own mind. Go to www.tirerack.com they have a lot of tires and you can look at their pictures and see what others thought of them.

project2OOOGT · 06-17-2002, 03:45 PM

i have kuhmos in the front and plan on getting nitto's the next time around but i am not sure that these will wear out!!!!! 12,000 on them and they look brand new and as far as kuhmo's hooking good..forget it... excellent wet traction but if ya nail it wet or dry ..watch the back end lol.......i like my nitto dr in the back and will stick with them they hook very well on the street....btw i only paid 169.99 a tire for my dr's at a local tire shop

GaryDawg · 06-17-2002, 04:05 PM

Kumho's are certainly not track tires...

But, if you need a cheap replacement to the stock GoodYears, 712's aren't the worst you could get. For the money and not going to the track, I would try the Kumhos.

As far as any "Japanese" tire being crap.... all I know is the Kumhos are better than the stock GoodYears.

03-01-2002, 01:51 AM	#1
98gt5sp Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Washington Posts: 40	Tire advice please! I have a 98 Mustang GT 5sp (obviously), and I just got a really good deal on 4 17" wheels from a friend. I currently have 16" wheels and tires, and am about to buy 17" tires to put on with my new rims. I'm wondering what tire everyone else out there likes (I'm looking for something relatively cheap, like no more than around $150 each). The Kuhmo Ecsta Supra 712s (size 25540) and the Michelin Pilots were both recommended to me. Does anyone else have any recommendations, or has anyone used these tires? Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks a lot.

03-01-2002, 09:50 AM	#2
SLOW 97 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Arlington Heights,IL Posts: 231	What kind of driving are you planning on doing? Do you drag race or auto cross? As for Kuhmos, I personally think they suck. The tires you should buy all depend what the car is going to be used for. __________________ '97 Laser Red GT Coupe Stock 2V (Pulled Silencer) 4R70W Automatic Ripped off a BLISTERING 15.37@90MPH With a 2.21 60ft Just Installed- K&N Air Filter Coming Soon...... -4.10's -Flowmaster A/T or Magnapack Cat-Back

03-01-2002, 04:41 PM	#3
blue00gt Mustang Addict Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: McKinney, TX Posts: 1,294	I have also heard that those Kumhos don't make very good traction. I can only speak for the tires that I have had on my cars, but I really like Dunlop SP8000s and Pirelli P-zero Asymmetricos (Pirellis are very expensive). These are good for handling, but obviously don't hook up like a drag radial on a launch. I've also had BF Goodrich Comp T/A ZR's and was pretty happy with those. Have heard good things about Bridgestone S02s and S03s too. __________________ Strike down the unroadworthy! 2000 GT Atl. Blue: '03 Cobra motor - 465rwhp/473rwtq, T-56 6-speed, full MM TA/PH & tubular K-member suspension, Saleen body, 17" Torq-Thrust II's, M/T ET Street radials, and lots more '94 Rio Red Cobra: All the bolt-ons, 3.73s

03-01-2002, 08:13 PM	#5
96GTfanatic Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 93	get 245's. you can get a better tire for the same price as paying for a crappy tire thats slightly bigger. Not a big difference but 245's will be cheaper and do just as fine. __________________ 96 green GT, 5-speed, 2 chamber Flowmasters, BBK offroad h-pipe, Pro 5.0 Shifter, shiny 96 cobra rims Next Mod: 2003 Cobra (not any time soon)

03-04-2002, 12:56 PM	#6
95GTS Git jiggy Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: MO USA Posts: 865	Look into the Dayton Daytona ZR tires. I had them on my 96 and they were great tires. Also Pep Boys has a tire called the Futura Ultra Z or something like that. Made by Cooper they are the same thing as the Cooper Cobra Z rated tire (I think called the GTZ). __________________ 1967 Mustang Coupe

03-01-2002, 05:19 PM	#4
Sonics2042 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 381	I got some Z-rated Michelin Pilots cheap from Costco. They were a world better than my previous Toyo tires. I only have 15" rims...so I don't know about your application....anyone else have any comments on the Pilots? (Mine were a little over 500 for all for with balancing and all that...they do that for free...) Thanks, DoranW

03-04-2002, 04:25 PM	#7
Red Mustang Gt 46 13.3 @ 103 Join Date: May 2001 Location: Maryland Posts: 253	Dunlop SP5000's have served their purpose well for me... They were $129.00 a piece, don't know what they are now. I drive my car hard every day whether it be cornering or smoking the rears. After 20,000 miles, they still look new. Ultimately your choice, just my experience with Dunlops. __________________ Equipment by: Steeda C&L COMP CAMS FRPP MSD Bassani Magnaflow MAC

03-06-2002, 10:13 AM	#8
SLOW 97 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Arlington Heights,IL Posts: 231	The Dunlop SP5000's I had on my car weren't bad but I burned them up pretty quick. Also, stay away from Pep Boys and Japanese tires! There's a reason why they are cheap, they SUCK! If your into handling and autocross, go with BF Goodrich G- Force T/A KD's. These came on the '00 Cobra R and are pretty expensive but a little cheaper than the Pirelli's and are just as good if not better. If you drag race, get some BF Comp T/A Drag Radials in the back and some Comp T/A ZR's in the front. My friend had these on his Camaro and they hooked up very well. __________________ '97 Laser Red GT Coupe Stock 2V (Pulled Silencer) 4R70W Automatic Ripped off a BLISTERING 15.37@90MPH With a 2.21 60ft Just Installed- K&N Air Filter Coming Soon...... -4.10's -Flowmaster A/T or Magnapack Cat-Back

03-07-2002, 12:28 AM	#9
mustang17 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Concord, MA, USA Posts: 264	I have yet to hear a good thing about Kumho tire. I'd stay away from them. I know an autocross guy (92 vett) who loves them because he has to buy a set every couple weeks. He said if he could afford ANYTHING else he would get it. I had the Pilot XGT Z4'S, as my street tire, and I thought the were awful. Not a good tire for hard street driving. That tire gave me the worst traction proublems. I paid $160 , huge waste of money. I had good luck with the Bridgestone Potenza RE 940's, a great street tire, for the wet too. They run about $120. Think about tread life! If you need a street tire, I wouldn't get a drag radial, unless you like throwing money into tires every 20,000 miles. If the car is your daily driver you have to think about wet handling, as well. It's a total give and take with tires. __________________ 1995 GT Black- Edelbrock- 6037's,Intake, cam,70mm TB,75mm pro-m,Equal length headers,3.73's and all the bolt on's. SOLD 12/5/01 NEW! Mercedes-Benz SLK 230 Red/Black. Kleemann boost increase on the way!

03-07-2002, 12:36 AM	#10
Crazy Horse GT Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Sale Creek, TN. C. S. A. Posts: 4,652	well as much as everyone say's khumo's suck they beat the he-- out of the goodyears my car came with -3 blowout's in one year ,the last one has caused me to wait over 2 month's for my car to be repaired,i still dont have my stang,so whatever you decide ,dont get goodyear's __________________ 95 gt vert, lot's of stuff, it aint slow. 04 sonic blue v - six my beater 89 rs camaro iroc turbo hood, other stuff, my wifes ride 84 lx stang cammed up 289 hi po, etc 65 falcon, maybe by the year 2020. black 00gt, gone but never forgotten. R H C- member # 1 o.b.c. da prez- member # 1 if your under 40 dont ask. goodbye for now odie,r.i.p. 11-27-03

03-07-2002, 10:25 AM	#11
SLOW 97 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Arlington Heights,IL Posts: 231	Amen to that! The stock Goodyear's that came on my GT are horrible. No traction and the way the tread was worn was terrible. __________________ '97 Laser Red GT Coupe Stock 2V (Pulled Silencer) 4R70W Automatic Ripped off a BLISTERING 15.37@90MPH With a 2.21 60ft Just Installed- K&N Air Filter Coming Soon...... -4.10's -Flowmaster A/T or Magnapack Cat-Back

03-14-2002, 12:12 AM	#12
esandes Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 72	Bridgestone Potenza's rock. Sticky compound really keeps you on the road. For the best handling though I'd recommend suspension upgrades (ie. Steeda stage 3 or Roush or Max Motorsport).

03-15-2002, 11:08 AM	#14
GTJim Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Rio Rancho, NM Posts: 32	You might think about getting some take-off 99-01 Cobra wheels/tires. Get the polished ones (17x8) and they come with the Comp T/A tires (245-45-17) and fit perfectly. They are up on Ebay once in a while and you can get a used set usually with under a few thousand miles for about $700. __________________ 2001 Mineral Grey Cobra - #2277 of 3867 - MM SFC's, Bilsteins, Rear: H&R race springs, PHP IRS brace, Steeda IRS bushings, Front: MM Coilover conversion w/ Hypercoils - JBA Headers, Bassani X-pipe, Dynomax Ultra-Flow catback - Procharger P-1SC Stage II

03-15-2002, 12:46 PM	#15
esandes Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 72	I bought a set of Bridgestone Potenza S-O2's. I love them. They are so much better than the stock goodyears. The compound is race proven and the traction in wet and dry is unbeleivable. I get better traction in the wet than I did on dry roads with the good years. If you are getting bigger wheels/tires, I think you have to adjust your speedo gears too. Check with Steeda.

06-13-2002, 02:21 AM	#16
98gt5sp Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Washington Posts: 40	I never really do any auto-cross, just drag racing. Even for my street tires, I really want something that will hook up well off the line. Any suggestions on this? The potenzas still? Thanks, -98gt5sp __________________ 1998 Silver Mustang GT 5sp My Mods My Web Page Rice Hater's Club - Member # 78

06-13-2002, 08:11 AM	#17
98SteedaGT Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Texas Posts: 330	I have Nitto 555ZR on my car, and I love them... I still have a huge groove in them where the tread is. I can't complain about them.. although you will have to spend some money for them at the size I have... $272.00/tire @ 285/35/18 I have no problems with traction in wet/dry/sand/gravel. They hold very well to the pavement in all conditions. From a dead stop and the TCC loaded to full, I can go straight to WOT and not even spin the tires. I get full grip and launch right off the line, the only times I even get a small chirp from them is when I go from 1-2 and 2-3. Other than that, they hold their ground. __________________ // 1998 GT-Steeda Conversion \\ -- Sold // Now own 2001 F-150 SuperCrew 5.4L \\

06-17-2002, 02:02 PM	#18
Ramin Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Victoria BC Posts: 10	Make up your own mind. Go to www.tirerack.com they have a lot of tires and you can look at their pictures and see what others thought of them.

06-17-2002, 03:45 PM	#19
project2OOOGT Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: here Posts: 23	i have kuhmos in the front and plan on getting nitto's the next time around but i am not sure that these will wear out!!!!! 12,000 on them and they look brand new and as far as kuhmo's hooking good..forget it... excellent wet traction but if ya nail it wet or dry ..watch the back end lol.......i like my nitto dr in the back and will stick with them they hook very well on the street....btw i only paid 169.99 a tire for my dr's at a local tire shop __________________ http://www.pnrracing.com/Readers%20R...T/Inthecar.WMV http://www.pnrracing.com/Readers%20R...0GTexhuast.WMV COP??? WHAT COP??? bassani X underdrive pullies hpm subframes kirban short shifter mac cai mac cat back 17x9 cobra r's 315/35/17 nitto dr in the back 255/45/17 kuhmo ecsta's in the front 3.90 gear auto logic chip is next

06-17-2002, 04:05 PM	#20
GaryDawg Registered Member Join Date: Aug 1999 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 202	Kumho's are certainly not track tires... But, if you need a cheap replacement to the stock GoodYears, 712's aren't the worst you could get. For the money and not going to the track, I would try the Kumhos. As far as any "Japanese" tire being crap.... all I know is the Kumhos are better than the stock GoodYears. __________________ '98 Rio Red Mustang GT 'vert (clicky) See my "User Ride"...

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